Crunch Time

 They say everything is bigger in Texas but do "they" mean cereal too?  "Bigger" can be relative, especially in the cereal aisle where birds, rabbits, cavemen and leprechauns all compete for your attention and a place in your shopping cart.  In order to stand out from the crowd you need to do something big.

 And then along comes our old friend Cap'n Crunch with something we didn't even know we wanted: "Cap'n Crunch's Texas Sized Crunch Berries."  It's been way too long since we've had a Texas themed cereal and I was surprised at what a welcome site this was.  The "Limited Edition" breakfast treat boasts Crunch Berries that are three times bigger and has the Cap'n decked out in his Texas dude duds.

Depending on your familiarity with Crunch Berries, these may or may not seem "Texas Sized" to you.  I have to admit I was a little unimpressed at first glance.  I guess it's been awhile since I've had a bowl of the Cap'n's delight since they didn't seem all that big to me.  I assume that regular crunch berries are three times smaller but I honestly didn't want to expend the extra effort or cash to buy a regular box for comparison.  That would be a lot of cereal to get rid of.

So in order to give you a better idea of their size, I've included some State Fair of Texas tickets for perspective.  You can also see here how much bigger the berries are than the regular Cap'n Crunch pieces (do they have a name?).  This also got me in the mood for the inevitable "Deep Fried Cap'n Crunch" which must be coming to the State Fair at some point, if it hasn't already (like the Deep Fried Froot Loops I tried awhile back).

While you chew on that, let's head to the back of the box.  Sure, the "Texas sized" Crunch Berries might have been a disappointment but the Cap'n makes up for it with some Texas themed activities for your morning meal entertainment.  Apparently the "Tex-A-Tron XL" is the machine that makes the bigger Crunch Berries?  Regardless, it's up to you to unscramble the names of famous Texas locations in order to fix it.

If Crunch Berries aren't big enough for you then there are plenty of things in Texas that are.  Before you drink the milk, take some time to find your favorite Texas "big things" in the Cap'n's word search.  Not a bad way to start the morning.

Are we the only state in the country to have their own cereal?  Probably not.  I assume there's some kind of "California Something Or Other Granola" out there somewhere but I'll take the Cap'n over that any day of the week.

Top 5 Things For Sale at the Sam Houston Statue Gift Shop

Previously:

 Top 5 Items for Sale at the Alamo Gift Shop

Top 5 Things For Sale at Texas Treasures  

The first time you head south on I-45 to Houston you get a big wake up call when "the world's tallest statue of an American hero" pops out of nowhere to say "Howdy!"  The 67 foot tall Sam Houston statue in Huntsville is hidden by trees as you approach from the north and seems to appear out of nowhere (it's more visible from a distance when you approach from the south):

The statue has its own Visitor's Center and, you guessed it, gift shop.  So we pulled over and headed inside to do a little shopping and here's our Top 5 List of what we found:

5.  Sam Houston Statue Moonshine Hot Sauce

Yeah, I know that these types of gift shop food items all come from the the same place and just get custom labels but things little beauties still appeal to me.  I like knowing that if you wanted Sam Houston Statue branded hot sauce with a "moonshine" theme, then the world has provided you with that option.

4.  Texas Shaped Flask

Texas has a unique shape which lends itself to merchandising like belt buckles or bolo ties but it never occurred to me that it would lend itself to a drinking apparatus.  But if you need an accessory for your secret drinking problem then you might as well get one that shows off your Texas pride.

3.  Texas Monuments Notepad

When jotting down your grocery list or your "Honey-Do" List it's important to be reminded that everything is bigger in Texas.  These handy pads show off the Sam Houston Statue, the State Capitol building and the San Jacinto Monument.  They're so big they don't leave a lot of room to write.

2.  "How Tall is Big Sam?" Postcard

If you can't tell already, size matters in Texas.  And it REALLY matters in Huntsville, TX where a big claim to fame is "Big Sam."  On this card he lands smack in the middle between other statues in Texas and the United States.  You'll notice that the Dallas Zoo Giraffe statue is not listed since there's a little bit of controversy and possibly bad blood between the two Texas giants.

1.  Sam Houston Statue Christmas Tree Ornament

 
If you love the Sam Houston Statue as much as I do then you'll definitely want to incorporate it into the holidays.  This little guy would like great on the tree in between the J.R. Ewing ornament and the Big Tex ornament.  Pass the Hot Dr Pepper!